Well back to the story about the little pot of heaven - so a few days went by and I used the honey in every single cup of tea I made… that is until I opened the kitchen cabinet to get it and it came flying out, heading straight for my head. Out of sheer panic that it was coming at a trajectory that was headed right for my nose, I dodged it successfully and managed to save myself! As for the honey… I had a kitchen floor infused with lavender honey! I went back to the shop where I bought it, in pure desperation to buy another one, but the shop was sold out for the season.
Fast forward to this passed August. I harvested my first bit of lavender from my year-old bush and hung it to dry. Although it may be small, it sure was mighty (in flavor that is)!
While it was drying, I truly had no idea what I was going to do with it; that is until someone gifted me local honey from their hives. Instantly I squeaked with excitement because I was going to attempt my own lavender infused honey! Here's the scoop on how to make my Lavender Infused Honey.
You will need:
1 jar of local honey
1 empty jar with a lid - a little larger than the amount of honey you have
Dried lavender (mine was grown using organic practices in my own garden)
rubber spatula
mesh strainer
To make:
Take your empty jar ( I used a half-pint wide mouth Ball jar) and sterilize it in a pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Then fill it 1/3 of the way with the dried lavender.
Next take your jar of local raw honey and pour it overtop of the lavender buds. You may have to place your jar of honey in warm, not hot, water to make it a little more liquified so that it pours easier. Your jar should now look like this.
Then the next day, invert it like this.
Now, give it a good but gentle swirling with the spatula!
At this point, all the little lavender buds should be somewhat suspended in the honey. Place your lid back on and secure it to finger tip tight (not too tight, not too loose). Now label it with the date and place it on your counter out of direct sunlight.
Repeat inverting the jar every day for 3-4 weeks depending on how strong you like the taste of lavender. Since my lavender was freshly picked and dried, it was very potent at the 4 week mark so it was just right for us. To see if it is right for you, just open the jar and take a whiff with your good ol' sniffer. If it seems fragrant enough, on to the next step; if not, give it a little longer.
So now comes the part that I didn't take a picture of for no other reason than the fact that I didn't have the dexterity to try to pour the honey, hold the strainer, and take a picture all at the same time… weak, I know!
Ok so now you are going to use that mesh strainer that I mentioned in the supplies. Pour all of the honey into the mesh strainer getting all of the little bits out of the jar using the rubber spatula. If you are quick like lightening, quickly put the jar that the honey was infusing in right under the mesh strainer to start collecting the strained honey. If that doesn't seem like it will work for you, just use another sterilized jar of the same size as the one you infused the honey in. This part TAKES-FOR-EVER… you basically have to let the honey slowly, and I mean slowly, drip into the jar. Help it along every now and again with the spatula. After if seems as though all the honey has dripped through the strainer (some will still be stuck on the lavender buds) you can discard the lavender, add the lid to the jar, and you are good to go. The final product should look like this.
Note: when straining your infused honey, your finished product will yield less than the amount of honey you originally started with. I ended up with about 6.5 oz from the original 8 oz jar I started with.
You can use this in homemade baked goods, over pastries, in oatmeal, or like we do here in our house, in our herbal tea! My most favorite is using it in chamomile tea right before bedtime since both chamomile and lavender have calming properties that help promote a restful sleep.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
Until next time - Danielle
So now comes the part that I didn't take a picture of for no other reason than the fact that I didn't have the dexterity to try to pour the honey, hold the strainer, and take a picture all at the same time… weak, I know!
Ok so now you are going to use that mesh strainer that I mentioned in the supplies. Pour all of the honey into the mesh strainer getting all of the little bits out of the jar using the rubber spatula. If you are quick like lightening, quickly put the jar that the honey was infusing in right under the mesh strainer to start collecting the strained honey. If that doesn't seem like it will work for you, just use another sterilized jar of the same size as the one you infused the honey in. This part TAKES-FOR-EVER… you basically have to let the honey slowly, and I mean slowly, drip into the jar. Help it along every now and again with the spatula. After if seems as though all the honey has dripped through the strainer (some will still be stuck on the lavender buds) you can discard the lavender, add the lid to the jar, and you are good to go. The final product should look like this.
Note: when straining your infused honey, your finished product will yield less than the amount of honey you originally started with. I ended up with about 6.5 oz from the original 8 oz jar I started with.
You can use this in homemade baked goods, over pastries, in oatmeal, or like we do here in our house, in our herbal tea! My most favorite is using it in chamomile tea right before bedtime since both chamomile and lavender have calming properties that help promote a restful sleep.
I hope you enjoyed this tutorial.
Until next time - Danielle
